


For Lessons Of Romantic Irony

by gatergirl79



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Fluffy, M/M, Misunderstandings, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Prompt Fic, dating mishaps
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-11
Updated: 2017-03-11
Packaged: 2018-10-02 17:47:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,015
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10223726
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gatergirl79/pseuds/gatergirl79
Summary: Prompts: Gabe and Sam are neighbours. Gabe watches Sam go on dates and hates it. Gabe is too nervous, shy, whatever to say anything. (Bonus points if Sam's most often dating Gadreel). Sam is not feeling like getting serious with anyone. Gabe finally gets the courage to ask him out. Sam realizes he likes Gabe more than he thought/realised he did.____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Gabriel has spent years loving Sam Winchester, watching him date every other guy in town, but when it looks like Sam has finally decided to settle down Gabriel realizes its time to move on, but is Sam going to let him.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LilyAnson](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LilyAnson/gifts).



> Written from a prompt by my good friend LilyAnson. I hope you like it, even though it doesn't completely fit what you asked for.

And there he goes again, his fourth date in a week. That kid was getting more ass than a toilet seat, and yeah okay maybe he wanted to be one of those asses, so shoot him. No seriously, please shoot him. It was getting pathetic.

 

Over a decade, that's how long Gabriel Shirley had been a pathetic love sick fool. Fifteen years watching Sam Winchester grow from a short squirt of a kid who kept his head down and his nose tucked studiously in a book to... _wow_. Like seriously you have no idea how **_wow_** he'd gotten.

 

It wasn't that Gabriel had given the kid a passing glance during high school, he was a senior biting at the bit to see the world when Sam had strolled in as a fresh faced freshman. No it wasn't until Sam had reached his late teens and blossomed that Gabriel really began to take notice. How could he not? With all that hair and muscle, and height. So much height.

 

Of course he'd tried his hand at wooing said Sasquatch but all that happened was him making a fool out of himself, and very nearly breaking his face on Sam's big brother's fist. He still didn't know what went wrong, he was usually so charming, so smooth and debonair, but around Sam friggin' Winchester he turned into a blithering idiot.

 

Gabriel watched as Sam smiled and kissed his date before climbing into the guy's car. It was the same asshole from Monday and Wednesday night, not to mention the last two week. In fact he'd been seeing more and more of this one jackass over the last month. It was almost as if the they were going steady, which was stupid because Sam didn't want to commit to anyone. He was too young to settle down, so he said. Though Gabriel knew it had more to do with the whole horrific disaster surrounding his break up with Jess.

 

The car vanished into the night and Gabriel sighed, stepping back from the window and padding over to the couch. He fell heavily into it with a deep bone weary moan of resignation. Sam was never going to see him as anything but his doffus friend and Castiel's brother.

 

Castiel's marriage to Dean Winchester hadn't been a surprise to anyone, least of all Gabriel. Frankly the only reason Gabriel left school with both legs and all his teeth in tact was because of Dean’s ' _friendship_ ' with his little brother Cas. Though that hadn't saved him when he'd pulled an Ask Anything at midnight on a school night outside Sam's window. What can he say, he's a sucker for a good movie cliché.

 

It wasn't until Dean and Cas finally stopped pretending their ' _profound bond',_ as Cas was want to call it, was simple friendship that Gabriel got to be within spitting distance of Sam again. Of course by then Sam was attending college and was in a relationship with the seemingly wonderful and innocent Jessica Moore.

 

And that released Gabriel in a weird way. Sure he'd been jealous and darn right green with envy, but without the pressure of having to impress and charm Sam into wanting him, he was able to actually behave like a normal human being. It had turned out he and Sam had a lot in common. They liked the same music, the same video games and candy. They were both dog people.

 

They both hated the prospect of going into the family business too. Something Sam fought tooth and nail to avoid. Sadly Gabriel wasn't so lucky. Sam was the one that got to run away and live the dream, for a while at least. Gabriel however had been trapped in Lawrence with his father and brother's, working for the man. Slaving over peoples accounts till he was red eyed and soul sick. He'd tried, honestly he had. He'd gotten as far as Indiana, working in a motel bar for a fire cracker named Kali. That was until Michael had called and demanded he come home because their dad was having one of his turns. Meaning he'd decided to throw in the towel and write that novel he'd been planning for decades. They went through this every few years or so, and somehow Gabriel was the one forced to pick up the pieces, with the help of Cas. But that was life, huh? Can't run forever.

 

Sam learnt that the hard way. His father's death brought him home like a bullet and pinned him to the town. At least John had waited for him to graduate law school. Sam had rolled back into town, pretty young fiancée at his side and law degree under his belt. He hadn't intended to stay but well, things just turned out that way. Kind of like how it turned out little miss perfect had been screwing Sam's best friend behind his back for months.

 

With Jessica out the way everyone, including Sam, had expected him to revert to his old ways, but Gabriel wasn't that gooey eyed twentysomething anymore, he was a mature grown up, He wore a suit and tie to work daily. He was tired of making a fool of himself.

 

And okay so maybe he kept a too close eye on Sam's sex life, but that didn't mean he was going to go out of his way to show he was still head over heels besotted with the dumb kid across the street. - Even if he had drunkenly offered to marry Sam if he was still single by forty. Thankfully Sam was gracious, or embarrassed enough not to mention that, _ever_.

 

Amazingly, he and Sam had become friends over the past ten years. Good friends he thought. They went for drinks every Friday night. Unless Sam had a date, but even then he'd show up on Gabriel's doorstep with a six pack, pizza and a movie. They never spoke about the dates, Sam was too much of a good guy to rub salt in the wound. He did however continue to insist that Gabriel needed to get out there and find himself some action. Every time Gabriel would give the same response, _"I don't want a bit of the action, Samsquatch. I’m perfectly happy being single."_

 

 _"And alone?"_ Sam would always counter.

 

Gabriel would shrug nonchalantly and look him dead in the eye. _"I happen to believe the man of my dreams if out there and when he's ready he'll find me._ "

 

Sam would inevitably blush, sigh and turn back to the movie. _"And until then?"_

 

_"Until then, I have an excellent internet provider and a very flexible right hand."_

 

It would be followed by an awkward silence then a loud laugh and more beer. When the movie was over and the pizza and beer gone, Sam would either help clean up, then sleek off across the street to his bed or he'd crash on Gabriel's couch. It was usually the latter.

 

In the morning, they'd share breakfast and decide if it was a games day or a fresh air day.

 

It was the sweetest torture, for a few hours every weekend Gabriel could almost believe they were a couple. Then Sam would get a text or a call and take off, probably for a hook up.

 

Those nights had been few and far between over the past couple of months. In fact the only time Gabriel had seen Sam in the last two weeks was through his curtains as he watched the young man climb into a stranger's car.

 

Gabriel reached for his beer and slouched down into his couch cushions. He sipped on the drink and stared at the TV, watching as Mr Wild Hair explained that angels weren't actually angels at all, but _aliens_.

 

Maybe it was time for him to try dating, probably. Maybe attempt to find someone to settle down with. - Or just have sex. When was the last time he'd had sex? God, he couldn't even remember. A year? Two? He shook his head, amazed and somewhat disappointed with himself. He really was a pathetic loser.

 

Reaching forward he snagged his laptop and opened it up, closing the currently open World News tab and googling dating sites. The list was daunting. His eyes scanned the page until one jumped out at him. Cupid’s Connections. He couldn't help but scoff but clicked on anyway. He'd just look, he didn't have to actually date any of these people.

 

Seemed he couldn't browse like he'd wanted, so with a sigh he closed the laptop and set it back on the coffee table, focusing his attention back on the TV.

 

He sat through two episodes before he reached for the laptop again and began filling in the profile, every intention of deleting it once he'd satisfied his curiosity. He filled in his basic details. Name. Date of Birth. Nationality. Religion. Sexual Orientation. Then came the questions.

 

He stumbled his way through the questions meant to reveal his character. Who he admired, who he didn't. Values and principles. Where he saw himself in 5 and 10 years. It took him almost an hour.

 

He heard a car pull up across the street and the car doors open and close. He paused, waiting to hear the car leave, but it didn't. Gabriel closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then he pushed himself out of his seat and strolled over to the bookshelf, grabbing the bottle of Jack, Dean had given him for his birthday two months ago. He retook his seat, pour a large glass and took two large sips before turning back to the questionnaire.

 

It was well past midnight when he finished, and he was too wrecked to browse. Telling himself he'll look the next morning, or later that morning as the case may be, he closed the laptop and pushed himself out of his seat. He stretched out his crapped back and padded over to the window, parting the curtains and glimpsing over to Sam's place across the street. The black Honda was still parked and the lights in the house were all out. Sighing regretfully to himself, Gabriel dropped the curtain and turned, heading up to his bedroom to spend yet another night alone in bed.

  

___ **For Lessons Of Romantic Irony** ___

 

Gabriel sat at his desk, tie hanging loose around his throat and collar undone, staring at the office phone. Once again, he'd heard nothing from Sam all weekend, the Honda had vanished by the time Gabriel had woken the next morning, but that hadn't brought Sam to his door. _If I didn't know bette_ r, Gabriel thought, _I'd think he was avoiding me_. He debated calling Sam’s office, asking him to lunch, but if Sam was avoiding him he would either get his assistant, Charlie, to make some excuse or he'd begrudgingly attend, only for the pair of them to sit in an uncomfortable silence. Most likely the former.

 

He leant back in his chair and closed his eyes, sighing, his hands rubbing down his face. He was startled almost out of his chair when his email alert sounded suddenly. He sat up and quickly rolled back to his computer, opening the message. It was from Cupid's Connections and his stomach dropped. Dammit, he'd forgotten all about it. When he'd woken the next morning and opened his laptop, the browser had closed. And well, out of sight, out of mind right?

 

He stared at the message confirming they'd found two matches of 89%. Gabriel frowned and leant back debating whether to look. He pulled his lip between his teeth and chewed it for a few seconds before figuring, fuck it. He leant forward and opened the first of the profile links.

 

**Fergus McLeod, 47, Businessman.**

 

Gabriel frowned. He knew McLeod. He was CEO of Crowley Industries. They'd been doing their taxes for decades, though Gabriel had never actually had the pleasure of meeting the man. He read through his profile and had to admit the guy seemed interesting.

 

He closed the page and went back to his email and the second link.

 

**Kali Goddard, 41, Businesswoman.**

 

Gabriel froze as he stared at the profile. Kali. His old boss Kali. How was that...? He read through her information and saw that she'd moved to Topeka to open a new bar. Gabriel couldn't deny the thought of seeing Kali again was exciting. Neither could he deny that he'd had a bit of a crush on her back in the day. Before he'd returned home to Lawrence. Before Sam Winchester had stolen not only his heart but his life.

 

Gabriel was typing before he even realised it. Maybe it was a sign. A sign that it was time to move on. He couldn't keep waiting for Sam to come around and release they were perfect for each other. The kid had made it quite clear he wasn't interested by dating every available guy in Lawrence other than him.

 

___ **For Lessons Of Romantic Irony** ___

 

"You look fine, Gabriel." Castiel murmured, watching his brother from the bed.

 

"You don't know Kali, I have to look my best." Gabriel argued, fussing with his tie for a third time, then looking at his watch. "Shit, I'm going to be late." he rushed for the bedroom door, Cas on his heels.

 

"Gabriel, are you sure you wish to do this? What about...?"

 

"I've waited almost twenty years for him to come around Cas, don't you think it's time to stop." Gabriel said over his shoulder as he took the steps.

 

"The Winchesters are slow, look at Dean. If I'd given up I wouldn't be...."

 

"That's different Cas, and you know it." Gabriel stated sharply, turning at the bottom of the stairs. "You and Dean shared a profound bond, remember? You two were always going to end up together. Me and Sam..." he shook his head. "We barely have a friendship."

 

"That's not true, Gabriel. You've been almost as inseparable as Dean and I were."

 

Gabriel sighed, lowering his gaze sadly. "I haven't spoken to him in almost three weeks Cas. He hasn't even had the common courtesy to tell me about this guy he's seeing." he looked at his brother hard. "Do you know about him?" the way Cas's gaze faltered and his face reddened said he did. "Uh." he huffed, turning to grab his coat and keys.

 

"It's not serious." Cas argued, unconvincingly.

 

"He's staying the night and Sam's telling you guys about him. That's pretty serious, Cas." Gabriel turned to meet his brother's regretful gaze. "Look, its fine, okay. It’s time for me to move on and clearly the universe agrees or it wouldn't have sent Kali my way."

 

Cas looked at him, resigned to the inevitable. "Well...have a nice time."

 

"Thank you." Gabriel nodded with a forced grin. "Give my loathing to Dean."

 

Cas rolled his eyes and watched Gabriel marched confidently out of the house.

  

___ **For Lessons Of Romantic Irony** ___

 

Gabriel was typing away, working on the Singer accounts, chipper and looking forward to 5 o'clock when he could leave and begin getting ready for his date. It had been three weeks since Cupid's Connections had put him back in contact with Kali and things were going wonderfully. It turned out she'd been as interested in him back when they'd worked at the hotel, but he'd left before she'd gotten the courage to ask him out. They'd shared a wonderful couple of dates and tonight was the big one. The third date. Time to get back into the saddle. In more ways than one.

 

"Something funny?"

 

Gabriel jerked around at the sound of an all too familiar voice. Though you wouldn't know it of late. "Sam?" he gasped.

 

"Hey." the taller man grinned, leaning casually on the doorframe, his black suit jacket folded over his arm and his collar open, tie abandoned. He looked...perfect. Gorgeous. An Adonis.

 

"What do you want?" Gabriel welcomed, sharp and angry, turning back to his computer screen.

 

"Look, I know I've been a bad friend lately."

 

"Lately?" Gabriel scoffed, glowering over his shoulder at him. "I haven't seen hide nor hair of you for almost a month and a half."

 

"I didn't realise we were married." Sam replied sharply.

 

"If we were, I'd have petitioned for a divorce by now."

 

Sam exhaled a long breath. "Gabe."

 

"You didn't even have the common decency to tell me you were seeing someone." Gabriel said bitterly, eyes fixed on his screen and hands moving between all the wrong keys.

 

"I didn't think you'd want to know." Sam countered. "We kind of have an unspoken agreement about my love life."

 

Gabriel inhaled slowly, his hands pausing. "Just because I don't want to hear about your casual fuck buddies doesn't mean I don't want to hear when you get yourself a boyfriend."

 

There was a long silence, neither man moving. The only sound in the room was the ticking of Gabriel's wall clock and the mingled sound of their breathing. Finally Sam let out a long heavy sigh. "You're right, I should have told you."

 

Gabriel shrugged nonchalantly. "It doesn't matter, what's done is done. I hope the two of you will be very happy together." he said dismissively. "I've got to finish this, I have a date to get home for."

 

"A date?" Sam asked, his voice suddenly alert. "You’re dating?"

 

Gabriel looked over his shoulder, brow raised. "I'm surprise Dean didn't tell you."

 

"Dean knows?" Sam gasped..

 

"Well Cas does, and you know what they're like, tell each other everything. Like best friends do." he added meaningfully.

 

Sam's jaw clenched tightly for a few seconds, his whole body rigid before he forced himself to relax. "So...uh, what's his name?"

 

"Not that it’s any of your business, but _her_ name is Kali."

 

"Kali?" Sam frowned, brows tightly knit together almost painfully. "As in the woman from the hotel."

 

"The one and the same." Gabriel grinned. "Turned out she'd liked me as much as I'd liked her."

 

Sam hummed, nodding. "Oh." he dropped his gaze to his feet. "Well I uh...I guess I'll let you work then."

 

"You do that." Gabriel dismissed.

 

"I'll talk to you later then."

 

"Don't put yourself out." Gabriel shot over his shoulder.

 

Gabriel listened to Sam's heavy sigh and even heavier feet as he left the office, then Gabriel slumped in his chair, chest heaving and painful. It was amazing how his and Sam's relationship had disintegrated to such a cold state in the space of a couple of months. Well he couldn't have held on forever. Sam was his past, Kali may be, hopefully, his future.

 

___ **For Lessons Of Romantic Irony** ___

 

At 8pm, Gabriel met Kali outside Harvelle's Roadhouse. They'd agree on a no frills meal, somewhere casual and relaxed where they could just be themselves. Frankly Gabriel had been surprised Kali had agreed seeing as she was far more used to fine dining.

 

He greeted her with a warm smile and a soft kiss before leading her inside and over to a small intimate booth.

 

"This is...nice." Kali said, looking around the large dining area.

 

Gabriel didn't miss the hesitation in her voice but he ignored it. Relationships were about compromise weren't they? He'd spent the last two weeks dishing out for fancy Italian restaurants, tonight he was going to eat his way. "Yeah. We come here all the time for birthday meals."

 

"We?" Kali asked, brow raised.

 

Gabriel smiled. "Me and Cas, his husband and brother-in-law."

 

"Oh." She nodded, reaching for the menu.

 

Gabriel shifted awkwardly in his seat and reached for his own menu, frowning down at it. The last two dates had gone along smoothly, they'd been at ease with each other, reminiscing about their time in Indiana. Talking about their lives, minus any and all mention of Sam. It had been nice. Now though, it suddenly felt awkward and unsettled. Gabriel brushed it off though, it was probably just nerves. It had been a long time since he'd gotten a third date, and all that implied. "The stake is good here." he informed his date warmly.

 

Kali nodded, not looking up from her menu, and the tension stretched on until a surprised voice brought both their gazes up.

 

"Gabriel?"

 

He could have groaned and slammed his face into the table. Of course. Of course Sam would show up. It really shouldn't be that big a surprise, after all it was Lawrence. "Sam." he greeted, clearing his throat. He looked from the tall younger man to Kali, to the stranger stood stiffly beside Sam.

 

There was a long drawn out silence as no one spoke or moved, until Gabriel took a deep breath and welcomed the inevitable. "Sam, this is Kali, my _date_. - Kali, this is Cas's brother-in-law. "

 

Sam looked at him for a long few seconds before turning and holding his hand out to Kali. "Hey."

 

Kali looked at it with disdain for a moment before shaking it.

 

"This is Gadreel, my boyfriend." Sam introduced.

 

Gabriel looked the man up at down. He was tall, though nowhere close to being as tall as Sam. He didn't look particularly happy to be stood there, if fact he looked kind of bored. "Hey." Gabriel nodded, dismissively.

 

"Well, uh, we'll leave you to your meal." Sam said after a moment.

 

"Yeah."

 

"It was nice meeting you." Sam smiled to Kali, who just inclined her head at him. Then he and Gadreel strolled off.

 

Gabriel tried not to turn and look, but couldn't resist, twisting his head to watch them take a booth a few feet away on the opposite side of the room. When he turned back, Kali was staring at him. -Through him would probably be a more apt description. "So, stake then?"

 

___ **For Lessons Of Romantic Irony** ___

 

An hour after taking their seats, Gabriel and Kali were sat in silence. Neither really touching their meal. Gabriel knew it was his fault, all he could think about was Sam sat a few feet away with his boyfriend, having a romantic meal. He turned, glancing over his shoulder again. Sam and his boyfriend were sat, talking in eager low voices, heads close together.

 

"I'm leaving."

 

Gabriel's head snapped back to stare wide eyed as Kali slid from the booth. "What?"

 

"Look, I didn't sign up to play second fiddle, to _anyone_." she sneered, glancing over to Sam's table. "I want a relationship Gabriel, where I'm the most important person in your life."

 

"You are?"

 

"Oh really? So tell me then why I've sat here for an hour watching you mope over that guy!" she said loud and angry.

 

Gabriel flushed as people's heads began to turn and he just knew Sam was watching behind them.

 

"I didn't sign up to Cupid's Connections to be anyone's consolation prize, and certainly not their rebound." she furiously donned her jacket and snatched her handbag. "It was nice catching up Gabriel, now lose my number." with that she spun on her heel and stormed out of the restaurant.

 

Gabriel sat shock still, eyes locked on his plate, listening to his heart pound in his head. There was a low hum of voices beyond his own heartbeat and he felt his face growing redder by the moment. In a second he looked up to see the sympathetic face of Ellen, the diner’s owner. "The check please, Ellen."

 

"Don't worry about it honey."

 

Gabriel closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "You can't write off a customer’s getting publically humiliated by his date on your taxes." he reminded her.

 

"I know." she pressed her hand on his shoulder reassuringly. "You get out of here. You can settle with me later, okay."

 

Gabriel swallowed the lump in his throat and nodded. "Thanks Ellen."

 

She stepped back to let him slip from the booth. "I'm sorry sweetheart."

 

Gabriel scoffed. "Yeah, me too." with that he marched out of the diner, head held high and not so much as sparing a glance back at Sam.

 

He headed home and lost himself in a bottle of Jack, cursing the day he'd ever set eyes on Sam figgin' Winchester.

 

He'd been wallowing for over an hour when there was a knock at the door. "Go away!" he yelled.

 

Another knock.

 

And another.

 

Finally, Gabriel shoved himself out of the couch and stormed over to the door, yanking it violently open. On the other side stood Sam.

 

"Hey." he said softly, pizza box in his arm and six pack hanging from his fingers. "Though you might need some..."

 

Gabriel flung the door close furiously. "Fuck off, Winchester!" he yelled, turning on his heels.

 

___ **For Lessons Of Romantic Irony** ___

 

"Sam keeps asking about you?" Cas said quietly from the office door.

 

Gabriel huffed.

 

"He's worried."

 

"Well you can tell him, to stop. I'm fine."

 

Cas sighed. "Gabe, come on, it’s not his fault..."

 

Gabriel spun around in his chair, eyes locking with his brother. "What isn't his fault exactly?"

 

"He's not responsible for your feelings, Gabe. He made..."

 

"I never said he was, Cas!" Gabriel snapped loudly. "I know exactly where he stood, but you know what? He could have kept the hell _away_ from me! He started this _friendship_. _He's_ the one who came to _me_ when Jess screwed him over! _He's_ the one who showed up at _my_ house every Friday night for almost five years!"

 

Cas sighed.

 

"He knew how I felt about him. He knew I'd been holding on to hope that one day, one day he'd see me as something more than your older brother." Gabriel voice cracked. "What happened with Kali made me realise I need to just cut all those ties, Cas. _All_ of them. So you tell Sam Winchester, I'm fine and to just stay away. He's got his boyfriend now, he doesn't need a lap dog anymore." he added with spite, then twisted his chair back to the computer.

 

Cas stared at him, watching him type. "Okay, Gabriel."

 

___ **For Lessons Of Romantic Irony** ___

 

**_Four Months Later_ **

 

"Finally, we'd like to thank y'all for coming and helping us celebrate. Thank you." Dean grinned, lifting his glass. Everyone clapped and cheered as he pressed a kiss to Castiel's lips.

 

"Help yourselves to the food." Cas announced, waving a hand at the tables set up along the fence on the right side of their large backyard.

 

Gabriel was stood piling chicken pasta on a bright rainbow coloured plate when a familiar shadow fell over the food beside him. He held a breath, but didn't look. It had been four months since he'd last spoken to Sam. Of Course he’d caught sight of him around town but it seemed that Sam had gotten the message to stay away.

 

In that time Gabriel had gotten his life reasonably straight. He'd quit his job, something that hadn't gone down well with Michael and Raphael. Thankfully Cas and their father had supported him every step of the way. He was now in the process of refurbishing old O'Malley's Bar.

 

As for dating, well it wasn't going very far. He's gone out with a couple of guys and a few girls. Nothing serious, but at least he was back in the swing of things. He felt good and in control again.

 

"How's the salad?" Sam asked casually.

 

Gabriel took a forkful and lifted it to his mouth. "Good as ever." he mumbled around the food. He watched as Sam reached for the ladle and piled it on his own plate.

 

"So, how you been?"

 

Gabriel took a breath and moved a little further down the table. "Fine. Good." he said dismissively. "I'm sure Cas and Dean have kept you informed."

 

"Just the basics."

 

"Hm. And you? How's the boyfriend?"

 

"Didn't Cas tell you?" Sam asked, sounding surprised. "We broke up."

 

Gabriel's heart skipped a beat and that small seed of hope began to blossom. He stomped furiously down on it. "I'm sorry. - Cas doesn't really tell me much about...you, anymore." he stated, knowing Sam would understand his meaning.

 

"Oh." Sam murmured.

 

"What happened?" Gabriel asked, because he just couldn't completely kill his need to be involved in Sam's life.

 

"He got back with his ex." Sam sighed. "Turns out, I was a rebound. I think he was just trying to make the ex realise what he'd lost."

 

"And it worked." Gabriel sighed.

 

"Yeah." Sam nodded.

 

They reached the end of the table and Gabriel strolled over to grab one of the chairs by the other fence. He didn't expect Sam to follow, but seconds later the seat beside him was taken up with a Sasquatch.

 

"How's your love life? You...seeing anyone?"

 

Gabriel shrugged, stabbing at the chicken on his plate. "Here and there. Nothing serious."

 

"Oh." Sam murmured.

 

They sat in an awkward silence that quickly eased into a more companionable one, the pair focused on their food and the activity around them. They watched as Cas and Dean mingled between their friends and family, laughing and joking. Dean flirting outrageously with every woman he came across but always returning to Cas's side with a kiss and a bright happy grin.

 

"It’s hard to believe it’s been five years." Sam said suddenly.

 

"I know."

 

"I still remember the night they got engaged."

 

Gabriel looked at him, sadly. "I'm sure you do."

 

Sam smiled back at him. "Yeah, wasn't the best night of my life?"

 

That had been the night Sam had discovered Jessica and his college best friend Brady had been having an affair for the past six months. He'd barely been able to hold it together that day but then Dean had organised a night out at Harvelle's, where he'd dropped to one knee and popped the question in front of the whole restaurant. Everyone had been focused on Dean and Cas, while Gabriel's sole focus was a miserable looking Sam.

 

"I really appreciate you being there, Gabe." Sam said quietly.

 

"It was nothing."

 

Sam looked at him disbelievingly. "We both know that's not true, Gabe. - I know it couldn’t have been much fun listening to me talk and cry about Jess." he inhaled, turning to stare down at his plate. “Cas…told me what you said, about how I should have stayed away, knowing how you felt about me. Only I…” he swallowed. “I didn’t…”

 

Gabriel interrupted. "I was angry." he shook his head. "I was still licking my wounds. It wasn't your fault, Sam. I made the decision to...put my life on hold. I shouldn't have said..."

 

"But I…”Sam interrupted quietly.

 

Gabriel exhaled, frustrated. "If you had no intention... - If you didn't feel.... - Why?"

 

"I'm sorry. I should have…said something sooner." Sam looked at him, eyes soft and regretful. He opened his mouth to continue only for Gabriel to cut him off, voice hollow and tired.

 

"Whatever. It's done now."

 

They fell silent again for a moment, Sam watching the familiar faces around them. Sam's knee bounding nervously. When it stopped, it fell to the side, touching Gabriel's own knee, sending a ripple of warmth through the older man's body. He wanted to move away, shift his chair as far from Sam and his warm body as possible, instead however, he left it there.

 

"I miss you." Sam said finally, voice low.

 

Gabriel's heart leapt into his throat. "You mean you miss your lap dog." he corrected in a low angry tone.

 

"No." Sam quickly dismissed. "I..." he was silent again for a long moment. "I miss you. I miss our Friday nights and Saturday mornings." he said earnestly, twisting in his chair to look at Gabriel, pleadingly. "I miss us all hanging out together, and us alone."

 

"Sam." Gabriel shook his head. "Don't, okay. I... - I've finally got my life back on track, I...don't."

 

Sam's shoulders slumped. "Please, Gabriel, just hear me out and then....then its up to you."

 

Gabriel knew he should kill this conversation before it started, and yet there he was, still sat there listening and hoping.

 

"Gabe, I...." he inhaled slowly. "You're not my lap dog, and I've never thought of you as such. You're my friend. Probably my best friend."

 

Gabriel scoffed angrily. "Which is why you didn't tell me about your boyfriend, because I was your best friend?" he moved to get up, only to be halted by Sam's hand.

 

"I know, I shouldn't have... - Gabe, you have to..." he gulped in a breath. "I panicked okay."

 

"What?"

 

"I panicked. I didn't not tell you about Gadreel because you weren’t my friend, but because...because you're so much more."

 

Gabriel stared at him, heart pounding. "Don..."

 

"It’s what I do, okay. I date other people because I can't date....you." he breathed the last word like a prayer.

 

"This isn't funny, Sam." Gabriel yelled furiously, drawing the attention of those around them.

 

"I _know_." Sam shouted back.

 

Gabriel moved to leave and Sam hurriedly went after him.

 

"I've been in love with you since I was 14!"

 

Gabriel stopped mid step, turning slowly. "What?"

 

"You heard me." Sam panted. "14."

 

Gabriel shook his head. "Nah, that's impossible. You didn't even know me."

 

"You were Cas's big brother, Gabriel, of course I knew you, but you didn't even know I existed."

 

Gabriel swallowed thickly.

 

"Then you went off to find yourself, and when you came back you started paying me attention." he sighed. "I thought...god, I thought you had seriously..." he cleared his throat. "But Dean said it was just your being a douche-bag. That you were screwing with me."

 

"I wasn't." Gabriel whispered.

 

"I didn't know that. - Then I went off to college and when I came back you...you didn't want to know me."

 

"You were with Jessica. I'm not that kind of guy."

 

"Then when Jess..." he waved a hand dismissively. "You were this shoulder to cry on and I let myself think... - And then you got drunk and said we'll get married, I thought...." he shook his head. "But the next day you acted as if it didn't happen. You never even mentioned it again, and I figured you were just trying to make me feel better. That you weren't really interested. - I thought you were just trying to make me feel better about myself."

 

Gabriel inhaled sharply, his legs suddenly feeling weak. Was the world spinning or was that just his head.

 

"And you'd keep saying stuff, about waiting for me, but I never believed it because....you...it was always a joke. You'd always laugh and I.... -- But it got too much, Gabe, I needed to stop and move on, so I started dating Gadreel, but when I saw you with Kali, it killed me. - And then Cas told me..."

 

"Wait, let me just get this straight!" Gabriel snapped, stepping forward shakily. "You've been in love with me this whole goddamn time?"

 

"Yes."

 

"And the only reason you didn't agree to go out with me years ago was because _Dean_ told you I was screwing with you?"

 

"Yes."

 

"And you only dated that douche-bag because you needed to move on? From me?"

 

"Pretty much, yeah."

 

Gabriel stared at him, wide eyed, his heart racing.

 

"Gabriel?"

 

"Shut up, Sammy!" Gabriel ordered, marching over to him. He gripped the front of the man's shirt and yanked him down, pressing their mouths together hard and desperate. After a few seconds, Sam opened his, allowing Gabriel's tongue to plunder its depths. His arm snaking possessively around Gabriel's waist and pulling him up tight against him.

 

Gabriel got lost in the feel and taste of Sam Winchester, _finally_.

 

When they pulled apart, breathless and bemused, Gabriel glanced around at all the happy faces, his focus landing on Dean’s shocked red face. “You and Me, Winchester, we’ll be having words. Right after I’ve finished ravishing your baby brother.” With that he gripped hold of Sam’s wrist and dragged him towards the front of the house. “Happy Anniversary Cassie, we’ll see ya tomorrow.”

 

“Bye guys.” Sam laughed, hurriedly following Gabriel.

**Author's Note:**

> To keep updated on my works in progress or to drop me a line, you can find me on Tumblr at https://www.tumblr.com/blog/fanfictionbygatergirl79


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